


Through dark vales

by bluebells



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternative Universe - Desert Kingdom, Dystopias, Five Acts, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-22
Updated: 2012-04-22
Packaged: 2017-11-04 03:09:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/389027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluebells/pseuds/bluebells
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They say the kingdom used to rise to Lord Gabriel's laughter, and his smile could light the desert.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through dark vales

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nileflood](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nileflood/gifts).



> Written for nileflood as part of the Five Acts exchange (dystopias).

They say this kingdom used to belong to a warrior queen and her righteous husband - an angel who fell to mankind to correct the injustice besieging the people of the sands.

But the queen died a long time ago, and the man sitting on the throne is no angel.

They say the kingdom used to rise to Lord Gabriel's laughter, and his smile could light the desert. They say he filled the halls with riches and tributes to his beloved, and that the kingdom would feast for seven days until all were sated and glad. They say that, once upon a time, this kingdom never wanted for anything.

That was before Sam's time, when the buildings still glowed like bronze in the setting sun, and song filled the streets. His father served the king before him; before the wars returned and his father's army was swallowed by the savage desert. 

Gabriel summons Sam to his chambers one evening, and Sam finds the once glorious king looking out over his kingdom in the dusk. A cool breeze blows in from the west. Smoke still rises from the siege on the walls at the northern front.

"You asked for me, my Lord?" Sam's hand tightens on the hilt of his sword. He glances around the chamber. It doesn't look as though the king stays long enough in this room to disturb the dust. 

The servants whisper that Lord Gabriel wanders the empty halls at night searching for the queen's ghost, and the part of himself she took with her to the grave.

"Do they still talk about me?" Gabriel asks, his arms crossed. He doesn't turn away from the tall window.

Sam doesn't understand. "My Lord?"

"I know my people speculate about their king, but their murmurs are only a distraction in this time of war. Do they still think I kill men's brothers when they rise to the new day? Am I still abducting my own people from their beds for traps of my own amusement?" Gabriel finally turns away from the window, and his heavy look settles on Sam's shoulders. "What do they say?"

Sam has never been this close to the king before. He has never seen that gold in another man's eyes. Maybe Lord Gabriel really was something more than man, though Sam has never witnessed action to suggest it.

"Your people worry for your well-being, my Lord," Sam answers honestly. 

Gabriel's eyes drop to Sam's sword, and Sam consciously loosens his grip on the hilt. Gabriel's next question surprises Sam with its hushed concern.

"How are my people?"

Sam considers his words carefully before answering. "Their spirits have been tested, but their will perseveres. They know your love for them will see us through this time."

Gabriel blinks with a soft look of surprise. A hint of bemusement tugs at the corner of his mouth. It's the closest Sam has ever seen him smile. 

"And what do you think, Sam?"

Sam is surprised the king knows his name. "I don't think your time is over."

Gabriel swallows and looks back to the smoke on the northern front. "You command the men at that wall. Bring soldiers from the west and south fronts to relieve them in shifts until our defences are rebuilt. Speak to the scientists about assisting with their experiments. I've seen promising results. It's time we ended this war."

"Yes, my Lord." Sam bows and reaches for the door at his back.

"And Sam?" Gabriel calls after him, making him pause on the threshold. Gabriel sounds hesitant, but that could be Sam's imagination. "Maybe... you can see me again tomorrow and provide another update?"

Warmth curls in Sam's chest, and he nods before he remembers the correct bow. An exhaustion is present in Gabriel's gaze that Sam hadn't noticed before, but his lips tug upwards in answer to Sam's smile.

"Of course, my Lord."


End file.
